


(You Are) Visually Stunning

by crystalblinks (orphan_account)



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, POV Sam Wilson, Pining, The Dinner From Hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 22:46:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9208376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/crystalblinks
Summary: Steve danced around the apartment, a bundle of nerves excitement.“So, what’s all the fuss for?”“I’ve got a date tonight.” My stomach sank.





	

Love has never been easy. It wasn't easy for my parents who fought every time I made the transition from house to house. It wasn’t easy when I was younger, back in school when I couldn’t help but fall for the straightest guys on campus, and it sure as hell wasn’t easy falling in love with my best friend. Loving Steve hit me like a ton of bricks after three years of what ifs and half assed relationships with people who deserved better. 

It hit me hard one night after work when I’d come home only to see Steve running around the apartment frantically, wearing his nicest jeans and a suit jacket. “Sam! Can you help me? I can’t find my red tie, the one with the black stripes.”

I shook my head and made my way to my room locating the tie. I handed it to him and he hugged me, broad arms wrapping around me. “You let me wear it last month.”

“Thank you!” He started snaking the tie around his neck when I grabbed it from him. 

“Let me do it, we both know you can’t tie a tie for your life.” He smiled graciously. 

“So, what’s all the fuss for?”

“I’ve got a date tonight.” My stomach sank. 

“His name is Greg, I actually met him at Bucky’s shop.” Steve said while I tied his tie, trying to ignore the way his adam’s apple bobbed as he talked, trying to ignore the pale skin brushing against my fingers, the way the freshly shaved skin would feel between my teeth, underneath my lips. 

“He’s a doctor and he’s so attractive, not quite Denzel in Malcolm X attractive, but like Denzel in Fences attractive you know?” I tried not to grimace. Steve had never really dated in the time we’d known each other, especially after we’d moved in together, and being here watching him sigh dreamily over a guy, a guy that wasn’t me felt like a blow to the chest. 

“All done.” Steve beamed at me and ran off grabbing his keys and phone. 

“I’ll be home later! Thanks!” He passed me in a whirlwind leaving me in the apartment to sulk and over analyze every conversation I’d had with him in all the time we’d been friends. After about an hour of moping there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Bucky leaning against the door frame holding a plastic bag in his arm.

“You know Steve’s on a date right?” 

“I know that, ‘s why I came.” He shoved his way into the apartment, plastic bag swinging from his hand. “Figured you’d be upset.”

“Why would I be upset? I’m happy for Steve, he deserves to be happy.” 

Bucky scoffed and unloaded the bag onto the coffee table. He set down my favorite kind of beer and chocolate ice cream onto the counter. “You act like I don’t see the way you look at him. I know what it’s like to love someone who’s with someone else, it hurts like a bitch.”

I gave him a pained smile and he motioned for me to sit on the couch next to him. “Maybe it hurts a little.”

He nodded and draped his arm around me. “That’s why we're going to eat ice cream and plan.”

“Plan what?”

“Getting you and Steve together, I'm not about to just sit here while you brood and he dates someone else. Besides, that Greg guy’s a fucking prick.”

When Steve came home that night he was all contented sighs and Greg this, Greg that. I’d never hated the name Greg so much before. 

\---

Bucky’s flower shop was this quaint little storefront on the edge of downtown. It had been his baby for as long as I’d known him, and even longer. There was something so wonderful about watching him in his element, surrounded by blooming petals and sunlight. 

It was late when I showed up, a few minutes before closing. There was a line of people still, all obviously grabbing flowers for last minute dates and anniversaries. When the last schmuck scurried out the shop, he locked the doors and pulled out one of the leather bound notebooks he kept under the register. Bucky moved it towards me. “Here’s the plan.”

In Bucky’s chicken scratch was a complicated plan that either involved corpses or corpuses. “Summarize this for me.”

“We gotta get Steve to hate Greg so you can swoop in and date him.” A proud grin spread across Bucky’s face. 

“You do realize this isn’t a rom-com right?” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. “You do realize that you’ve been pining after Steve for three years right?”

“Rom-com tactics it is.”

“Good, because I’ve got so many ideas.” Bucky had pointed to one of the lines in his notebook when T’Challa drifted down from the upstairs apartment, rubbing his eyes. 

“How was your nap Doll?” Bucky asked his voice immediately softening. It was always a sight to see the two interact, the way they calmed around each other. They tended to be sharp edged and cold, but together their harsh demeanors shattered. 

“Good, although I’m sorry I didn’t come down to help.” He yawned quietly and Bucky looked like he was going to swoon. 

“Hey it’s fine, we had a busy night, and you need your rest.” T’Challa smiled up at him and wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist, resting his chin on Bucky’s shoulder. 

“What are you two up to?”

“I’m helping Sam and Steve get together.” 

T’Challa mumbled something into Bucky’s ear which he sighed at. “It’s all apart of the plan.”

“A plan which we still need to work on.” Bucky and T’Challa looked at each other knowingly. 

T’Challa’s phone buzzed, causing the air in the room to shift. He checked it and started muttering wakandan curses.

“Do you have to go back to her tonight?” Bucky asked quietly, not quite looking at T’Challa.

“Yes, but you will have me to yourself for the rest of the week.” He pressed kisses to Bucky’s neck and jaw, causing him to lean back into his touch. “Just me and you.” Bucky nodded and T’Challa released him with a final kiss and left the flower shop just as quickly as he’d entered. 

I looked over at Bucky, distaste seeping through in my glare. “I know, I know but it’s six months. Six more months and then I don’t have to do all this anymore.” He waved his hand towards the door which T’Challa had just left through. 

“Six months is a long time to be the other woman.” Bucky scowled at me. 

“He’s worth it.” Bucky cleared his throat and stood up straighter. “Just like getting you and Steve together is worth it. I’m thinking we invite Greg over for dinner and doing a shit ton of little things until he snaps.”

“What like whoopi cushions in his chair?”

“No like, making sure he sits on the rickety chair that always squeaks or messing up his food, maybe putting on music that he hates.”

“Like little pranks that Steve won’t notice, but will drive Greg crazy.”

“Yeah, like he’s a neat freak. When he came into the flower shop he had to make sure that every petal on every flower in the bouquet was clean.”

“So maybe we leave a mess in the kitchen or in the livingroom.” 

Bucky grinned ear to ear. “Now we’re talking.” 

\---

After a few more days and nights of suffering, I finally got Steve to invite Greg over for dinner. Greg walked in like he owned the apartment, all five feet of him. Steve seemed to dwarf the little asshole in the three piece suit. He had this scrunched up little face and his skin was sickly pale like he hadn’t eaten anything since ‘01. No matter what Steve had said, he couldn’t even touch Denzel, not even on Denzel’s worst day. 

Steve hugged me and moved me towards Greg. “Baby, this is Sam.” 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Greg reached up and grabbed my hand, shaking it like I had some sort of parasite. Silence washed over us, only offset by the soft music playing throughout the apartment. 

“Where’s Buck?” Steve asked, breaking the tense quiet.

“Ran late closing up at the shop. He should be here in a few.” Bucky was actually just around the corner waiting for my go ahead to enter the apartment. I turned around and texted him to come on up, it was about to get good. 

“So he didn’t make dinner?”

“Nah, he called me about an hour ago and asked me to throw something together.” Greg looked over at Steve, like he was about to say something stupidly pretentious when Bucky burst through the door. 

“Sorry I’m late, there were still orders to be filled and ‘Challa was there it was a mess.” Steve looked over at him sympathetically, and wrapped one of his well muscled arms around him.

“It’s fine, shit happens.” 

Bucky smiled back gratefully and held a hand out to Greg. “Good to see you again.”

“Sure, yeah.” Greg responded, looking completely and totally disinterested. Bucky looked at me with a look that screamed ‘see I told you he was an asshole.’ I shook my head and motioned towards the kitchen, giving Bucky the next cue. He waltzed into the kitchen and turned up the speaker, mischievous grin on his face. 

“I love this song.” Partition was blaring through the house, causing Steve to laugh brightly and Greg to scrunch up his face in horror. 

“Steven, I thought I told you I hated R&B.” Greg said, his voice laced with malice. 

“I didn’t pick the music Sam and Bucky did.” Greg turned towards us, false smile covering his oily disgusting face. 

“Do you have anything I don’t know... classier?”

“Nah, just R.Kelly, Prince and Beyonc é  on my phone.” 

“Although Beyonc é is very classy when she wants to be.” Bucky added on. 

Greg just growled and sat down at the table in the rickety chair, even without our prompting. The rest of us followed suit. Greg shifted around in the seat, frowning every time it shifted or squeaked. After a few minutes of watching Greg grow steadily angrier at his chair, I started the conversation. “So Greg I heard you were a doctor.”

“Top surgeon at my hospital.” Greg beamed. “It’s hard work but I do it for the children.”

“Who else would you do it for?” Bucky asked sarcastically. 

“You know Bucky owns the shop but Sam is a director.” Steve boasted on my behalf, giving me one of those blindingly sincere smiles that made me fall for him.

“Oh.” 

“I just do some independent films, nothing special.”

“Yeah right. You won the best director award at the film festival last year. Greg baby, his films are visually stunning.”

“I bet.” Greg said in a delightful monotone, while picking at the non-existent crust under his nails. 

The stove beeped, loudly causing Steve to pop up in excitement. “I think my roast is ready.” I stood up to go grab it, eyeing Bucky’s carefully concealed amusement. 

“Roast?” Greg admonished, looking around like Ashton Kutcher was going to jump out of nowhere. “I’m a vegan.”

“Have some salad.” I offered.

“The salad has bacon in it.” Bucky reminded. 

“But I’m a fucking vegan!” 

“Baby, calm down.” Steve said resting a hand on Greg’s shoulder. Greg shook him off violently standing up from the table. “The guys just forgot.” 

“No Steven! This isn’t just a bunch of harmless mistakes! It’s all because Spike Lee and Bethany Hamilton over there want to fuck you!” He waved a hand at us, his face turning beet red. 

“To be fair Spike Lee isn’t really an insult.” Steve looked up at me, an exasperated smile on his face. 

“And I don’t want to fuck Steve, but Sam does.” Bucky said so nonchalantly it was like he had just told us what time it was. 

“Sam?” Steve stilled and turned towards me, eyes wide. “Is that true?”

“I mean it’s not how I wanted to tell you, but...yeah it is.” 

“I knew it! I knew it Steven!” Greg shouted, jumping up and down like he’d won some sort of prick lottery. 

“Greg I think you should go.” Steve whispered, not breaking eye contact with me. 

“What? Me?”

“Yeah. I need to talk to... I have to talk to Sam.”

“Steven.” Greg said, stomping one of his little feet.

“Greg please.” 

“Fine! Call me when you’re done fucking around.” Greg grunted pushing back his chair with a loud squeak and huffing out of the apartment like Grumpy Dwarf.

“I’m gonna go too. T’Challa’s coming tonight so...” We both waved Bucky off and he winked at me before leaving through the front door. 

When he was sure we were alone Steve rushed towards me pulling me into a kiss urgent and sloppy. We kissed like we were transferring every burden and every hurt to each other, allowing our lips to translate the miscommunications of our lifetimes. When he pulled away he pressed our foreheads together, hands wound around my waist.

“How long?” Steve croaked out.

“Three long ass years.”

“All this time...” Steve mused, running his hands up and down my body like he couldn’t fathom this reality. “You’ve loved me?” 

I nodded and he laughed, dry and disbelieving. “It’s been three long years for me too.” 

Steve pulled me into another kiss, just as passionate as the first, but calmer now. There was a gravity to the kiss as if his lips were the tide and he was pulling me closer, pulling me in. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've got a companion story planned about T'Challa and Bucky's relationship that's full of angst.


End file.
